Hearing Princess Qinghua bring up the old matter again, Chen Lin could not help frowning.
He had already made himself perfectly clear before: being a spirit guide was far too dangerous, and no reward could persuade him to do it. Yet she still refused to give up.
"I'm sorry, but I have no interest in becoming a spirit guide. I'm afraid I must disappoint you, Princess."
Chen Lin's tone was somewhat cold.
Although he had borrowed her influence, he had also given her the Divine Ability Treasure Box. She, meanwhile, had failed to secure him a place in the Soul Refining Pond as promised, so he owed her nothing.
As for whether she might resort to force...
He would indeed have worried about that before, but now his soul power had surged, restoring the might of his Soul-Destroying Finger. He was no longer so easily manipulated.
Princess Qinghua keenly noticed his displeasure.
She smiled. "I failed to explain myself clearly. I'm not asking you to become a spirit guide, but to perform a secret art of the Royal Family together with me. It will benefit us both, and you can consider it compensation for my failure to keep my promise regarding the Soul Refining Pond!"
Chen Lin froze.
He had misunderstood her.
Somewhat embarrassed, he said, "I see. Then I judged a gentleman's heart with a petty man's suspicions. But is this secret art easy to comprehend? There are only two months left until Spirit Welcoming Day. I'm afraid I might delay your important undertaking."
Although he was now a Nascent Soul Cultivator, he still lacked confidence in his ability to comprehend spells. Moreover, the secret arts of this realm likely differed from those of his original plane, making him even less certain.
Princess Qinghua studied his face for a